THE RABBIT 247 



be converted into all kinds of warm and cheap clothing. 

 Vast quantities of skins are stripped of their fur, which is 

 mixed up with some sticky substance into a glutinous mass, 

 and then pressed into felt. 



TAME BABBIT. 



Of the tame Rabbit there are at least a dozen well-recog- 

 nised varieties, which were probably derived from as many 

 different countries. They vary considerably in colour, 

 which is a common feature in animals that have been 

 called from a wild state to lead an artificial life. 



One of the hardiest and strongest of fancy Rabbits is the 

 Dutch a variety which, notwithstanding its small size, is 

 greatly admired. In what is considered a perfectly coloured 

 animal the fore part of the body is white, while the hinder 

 part may be black, grey or blue, &c. No dark hairs should 

 encroach upon the white, and no light hairs should show 

 upon the coloured part. The head and ears are dark ; the 

 face is marked with a white blaze ; and the feet and tail 

 are white. 



The Angora, looking more like a ball of fluff than any- 

 thing else, is one of the daintiest of Rabbits. The head is 

 broad and massive ; the creature's eyes are pink ; and the 

 ears are small and well tufted. The beautiful, silky white 

 coat needs to be parted along the back and brushed 

 downwards on either side, to prevent the fur becoming 

 tangled. 



A prime favourite with fanciers is the Lop, whose chief 

 point is its tremendous ears. Show animals often have ears 

 that drop evenly on either side of the head, and measuring 

 twenty inches from the tip of one ear to the extremity of 

 the other ; the width of an ear will not be less than four 

 and a half inches. In colour Lops are usually some shade 

 of fawn, bright orange fawn being the most popular. A 

 full-grown buck of this variety will weigh quite twelve 

 pounds. 



The Himalayan has a soft, white, glossy coat, with the 

 nose, ears, feet and tail, black. The small ears are erect. 

 The ideal life for this variety is in a warren, where it retains 



